Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley file for divorce after three years of marriage
The 14-time Grammy-winning producer and 'The Substance' star jointly filed in Brooklyn on Friday, making official a split that fans had quietly clocked since July.
In brief
Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley file for divorce after three years of marriage
The paperwork landed quietly on a Friday afternoon, but nothing about this split has been quiet since July. Rolling Stone and Billboard both confirmed Friday that Jack Antonoff, 42, and Margaret Qualley, 32, have filed for divorce after three years of marriage, bringing a formal end to one of indie pop's most closely watched romances.
Billboard confirmed that Antonoff and Qualley jointly filed for an uncontested, pre-packaged divorce settlement on Friday, Oct. 30, according to court records. The Sarah Margaret Qualley v. Jack Michael Antonoff filing landed in Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn and describes the split as an "uncontested joint divorce." The court noted it had processed a certificate of dissolution of marriage but that a settlement agreement was still pending and a judge still needs to review everything.
Antonoff is a 14-time Grammy-winning songwriter and producer who has worked with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Sabrina Carpenter, and is also a member of the band Bleachers. Qualley, 32, is known for films including The Substance and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
How it got here
The tell was Taylor Swift's wedding. The divorce development comes about three months after their separation went public in July, which followed breakup rumors sparked by Antonoff attending Taylor Swift's wedding to Travis Kelce with sister Rachel Antonoff instead of Qualley. Fans had noticed. They always do.
After fans noticed Antonoff had attended Swift's wedding alone, many others pointed out that photos of the couple's wedding had been removed from Qualley's Instagram page. Her Instagram handle, once a reference to the Bleachers song "Isimo," had also been changed to @sarahmargaretqualley23.
A rep for Qualley tried to get ahead of it in July. At the time, a rep for Qualley said: "The narratives running in the press about Margaret and Jack are categorically untrue. There are no trust issues. There was no infidelity or anything outside of respect and partnership in this relationship." Three months later, the paperwork disagreed with the denial only on timing, not tone.
People cited an anonymous source who claimed the decision to end the marriage was "mutual" and that they filed jointly. "They share a deep affinity and love for one another, and though their romantic partnership is ending, they will absolutely be lifelong friends," the source told the outlet.
A source exclusively told Page Six: "This divorce filing was inevitable. Like most couples, it took Margaret and Jack some time to iron out a few things and just adjust to this chapter before taking that next step to make things official and file the paperwork."
A relationship written into the music
The couple began dating in 2021 and married in August 2023. Their 2023 New Jersey wedding was a buzzy one, featuring a star-studded guest list that included the likes of Swift, Lana Del Rey, Channing Tatum, and Zoe Kravitz. It was, by any measure, a very music-industry wedding.
The relationship had a literal soundtrack. Named after Qualley, the Lana Del Rey song "Margaret" reflects on her relationship with Antonoff and narrates how the two first met. Qualley also appeared in the 2024 video for the Bleachers song "Tiny Moves," which was choreographed and co-directed by the actress and filmed just weeks before their nuptials.
Antonoff has been thinking about all of that catalog on the road. Earlier in October, he told The Guardian that he'd initially felt "worried" about continuing to perform songs he'd written about Qualley on tour now that their relationship has ended, but has since found that "it's actually been really beautiful" to do so. Just this week, Antonoff shared that performing songs about Qualley is still a "really beautiful" experience despite their split.
What it means for music's most in-demand producer
Antonoff's professional calendar stays full regardless. His fingerprints are on essentially every major pop album of the past decade, from Swift's Midnights to Sabrina Carpenter's breakthrough run. But the divorce filing lands at a moment when his personal life had become, perhaps inevitably, part of the story his music was telling. The Bleachers toured this fall on records that carry Qualley's name and image throughout.
At a September 15 concert in West Hollywood, California, Antonoff alluded to his reported separation from Qualley in video captured by USA Today. Saying the quiet part out loud, essentially, weeks before the court filing made it official.
For Qualley, the split closes one chapter while another one opens. In 2026, she co-starred with Jacob Elordi, Guy Pearce, and Josh Brolin in director Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic drama The Dog Stars. After The Substance made her a genuine awards-season name last year, she's clearly not short of work to throw herself into.
The filing is uncontested, joint, and from all accounts genuinely civil. The settlement agreement is still pending before a Brooklyn judge, so the legal process grinds on. Lana Del Rey's "Margaret" remains on streaming platforms with no indication anyone is pulling it down.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
